Rotary weeder and cultivator.



A. E. & H. F. VROOMAN. ROTARY WBEDBR AND OUL'IIVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 6,1912.

Patented Oct. 21, 1913.

.Zzzzrezzfam jrfiz E Z5017 2225 22.

A. E. & H. F. VROOMAN. ROTARY WEEDEK AND GULTIVATOR.

APPLIOA'I'IOH FILED JULY 6, 1912. 1,076,398. Patented Oct. 21, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

.7222/522/01'5' rial Z/i'wzzzzzz wail? [1727121752 A. E. & H. P. VROOMAN. ROTARY WEEDER AND GULTIIVATOR. APPLICATION FILED JULY 6, 1912.

Patented Oct. 21, 1913.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

STATES PATENT orrioa.

ABBA E. VROOMAN AND HOWARD F. VBQOMAN, OF PAINESVILLE, OHIO.

B G-Ami weaves AND CULTIYA-TOB.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it' known that we, ARBA E. Vnooar N and HOWARD F. VnooMAN, citizens of the Uiiited state s, residin at Painesville, in the eou' ty of Lake and tat'e of Ohio, have inve'n ed certain new and useful Improve merits in' Rotary Weeders and Cultivators, of which the following is a'specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in rotary w eeders and cultivators, the primary object being to provide a generally im-- proved ar e exceedingly simple, cheap, and efiicient construction', better adapted to its intended purposes than any other device 0 the same class withfwhich we are acquaint The invention relates more particularly to improvedi'otary'weeder or cultivator elements specially designed and adapted for use in the weeding or'cultivation of onions and other or similar vegetables, the improved implement being adapted to straddle the rows of growing ve-ge ables, whereby the rotary weeder or cultivator elements may be brou ht into very elbse proximity thereto for e purpose of a itating or cultivating the soil" along and etwee'n the growing plants without in any way injuring the latter, and at the same time destroying the sprouting and growing weeds and avoiding the cpverin'g' of the" cultivated growing plants or vegetables hy the loosened "soil. I K still further object is to provide improved rotary weeder or cultivator members aving their weeder prongs adapted to .revolve transversely to the line of travel or draft oft-heimp'lement and at right an les to the surface heing cultivat'e d, or in qt er words, arallel with and between the plants or We etables, thereby reducing the liability of injury to the latter to a minimum, and during'the early' or initial cultivation'o the onions or vegetables allowing one of the'rotary cultivator wheels or memhers to be placed sli htl'y in advance of the other so that the ra iall-y extending weeder prongs thereof will slightly ti'verlap and 9X- -ten into the row of growing vegetables thus enabling the soil'betw'een' the Igrowing plants be'stirred or cultivated." ractical experience with this in lenient has demon strated'that this'inay p done during" the $peciflcation of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 6. 1812. Serial No. 707,986.

n implement of this class of" central sectional view ta initial cultivation of such growing vege1 tables, as onions, or the like, without injurng the same, particularly as such vegetables are more deeply rooted and of a more hardy character than the young surface weeds.

A still further object is to rovide imroved driving shafts for carrying the roary members together with means for suporting and adjusting the same laterally nd lon itudinally whereby the position of.

bination of parts, hereinafter described,

illustrated in some of its embodiments in the cconipanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1, is a top p an view ofa weeder orcultivator constructed i' accordance with this invent-ion, portion of the frame and handle members being hroken away for the purpose of clearer illus tration'of the parts. 2, a longitudinal ran on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3, a detached view 'ot an ad justing member for adjusting the weeder prongs included in one form'of rotar cul t vat'ors shown in the accompanying rawings. Fig. 4, anenlarged detail view of an Patent-ed Oct. 21, 1913.

open rotary cultivator mei'nber' h ving weeder prongs extending lon 'tudina ly q! the axis'of rotation, said nice erp'rongs be 'ing shown spread apart at their free or ant've cultivati or soil engaging pytion s.

5, a to p an view of t e qrigitu inally an later-a lyadjustable driving shafts .deftached and shown one of theadjnstments of the rotary wee er members particularly designed'fo'r use during1 the initialcultivation of the vegetables}? e dottedlines iirdh eating the row of growing pia 'rs'a d line of travel of the im'jbvedcultivatorl Fi l 6, as imilar view'si owin g the 'ra dially e supporting brackets 13. the opposite tending weeder prongs of the rotary cultivator overlapping or extending into and be tween the growing plants or vegetables in the row being cultivated. Fig. 7, a rear view of the weeders shown in Fig. 5, and in the adjustment there shown and illustrating the operation of the same in the cultivation of the soil and the destruction of the weeds. Fig. 8, a similar view of a form of rotary cultivator for use in the more advanced rowth of the vegetables and of the form shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 4, of the drawings. Fig. 9, a view of the same with the adjusting member adjusted whereby the tapered or active cultivating portions of the weeder prongs are moved in closer proximity to each other. Fig. 10, a detail view of the gearing and adjustable brackets at one side for driving and adjustably su porting one of the driving or weeder sha taken on line 1010 of Fig: 1. Fig. 11, a detail side elevation of a further modified form of rotary cultivator in its relation to the surface and plant being cultivated. Fig. 12, a perspective view of a further modified form of rotary cultivator elements and illustrating their operation and relation with respect to the surface and plant being cultivated. Fig. 13, a similar view of a still further modified form of same.

Similar numerals of reference designate like parts throughout all the figures of the drawings.

v The. improved cultivator comprises a suit present sprocket wheels (1. adapted to transmit mo-.

thin-to sprocket driven shafts 7, in front through the medium of sprocket c'hains 8, passing mer small spreckets 9, on the shafts T.

a. means for supporting and adjusting the parts wherob the driving or weeder shafts he: r: d to may be ad justed ling iaicrsily for the purposes i :iiUl d. the front arch men J 15; with slatted bra ea h of bra- :v Carr. mliy adjust I If t aide bracket. 15*,s1ld bra vi s 1 carrying titfifil'liatldi} rfsfiQl'idUiQj or depasmiing hracl ets forming bearings f i sa means iorsupp ing the driving or reiiary uthe bra larts 1 are provi of said brackets 13, terminating in mam heads 13, for giving the shafts 12, two

points of support, and as a means for tilting or adjusting the driving shafts 12, said brackets 13, are provided with slots 13,

and-adjusting bolts 13. The shafts 12, are

adapted to receive their motion through the me 1 um of bevel gears 14 and 15, and as a means for permitting of the longitudinal adjustment or shifting of the-shafts 12, the gears 15, are adjustably secured to the shafts 12, (in the present instance) by means of set bolts 16, and the shafts 12, are further 88- cured in any desiredlongitudinal adjusted position by means of bearing collars 17, and screws or bolts 17, the arrangement just described permitting of the ready longitudinal adjustment and inclination of the shafts 12, whereby the rotary cultivator elements may be sup orted and adjusted laterally and longitu inally at various angles of incidence to the surface being cultivated,

one of the positions being illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, of the drawings.

During the early or initial cultivation of the growing bnions or other similar vegetables we prefer to employ the form of to tary cultivator shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7, or in Figs. 11, 12, and 13, of the drawings," in

which instance, the rotary cultivator com:

prises a common rotary support 18, carrying a plurality of radially extending weeder prongs or brushes 18, said weeder prongs or brushes being adapted to be carried by the shafts 12, at right angles to the surface 7 being cultivated and parallel with the growi ing onion top or plant 19, it being found by practical experience that on account of the form and hardiness of the latter during its early growth that the action of the weeder prongs or brushes will not materially injure the top or plant 19, and that the small growmg or'sprouting weeds on the surface of the soil being cultivated will be removed as illustrated in Figs. 7, 12, and 13, of the drawings, the comparative size of the onion top and weeds being slightly exaggerated for the purpose of illustration.

By reason of the arrangement of the bracket and bearing members above described, the shaft and weeder elements may be readily adjusted as indicated in Figs. 2,

the growing onion or similar vegetable, and

narticulariy after the top of the vegetable commences to spread out and slightly merhang the surface being cultivated, the form of rotary cultivatcr shown in F gs. 1. 2, 4. S,

. be employed on the shafts i2. .125

n; rotary cultivator element ccma rotary support or head 18, carryt .gituomally extendzn g we d prongs or tines 20,- said prongs extending longitudinally to their axis of rotation, forming an open weeder or cultivator member with interstices, gaps, or spaces intermediate the prongs or tines 20. The free ends of the prongs or tines 20, are preferably tapered and inturnetl as at 20*, said intnriie'd tapered ends 20", being adapted to form the active cultivating or soil engaging portions and presenting obvious advantages particularly in connection with the gaps or passes 20, between the \veeder prongs 20.

As a means for adjusting or moving 'the tapered or free end." 20, of the weeder prongs 20, toward or from each other where by to decrease or increase the relative diameter of the active cultivating portions of this form of open weeder, suitable adjusting mechanism may be provided, such for example,-as an adjusting block or disk member 21, mounted within and between the tines 20, so that when the member 21, is moved toward the free ends of the prongs 20, the latter will be fully spread apart as indicated in Figs. 1, 2, and 4, of the drawings or when the disk member 21, is moved toward the base ends of the prongs, the free ends of the latter will be permitted to approach each other as indicated ,in Fig. 9, of the drawings.

In Figs. 12, and 13, we have shown the shafts 12, provided with rotary brushes 18, said brushes being likewise adapted to be carried at right angles to the surface being cultivated and being likewise adapted to retate parallel with the growing onion top or plant 19. The brushes 18, may assume any suitable and convenient form, such as the continuous brushes shown in Fig. 12,01 the spaced brushes 18, as shown in Fig. 13, in which latterinstance these brushes are preferably arranged so as to meet each other and rotate in unison, as shown. 7

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the .accompanying drawings, the operation andadvantages of our invention will be readily understood.

Having thus described some of the embodiments'of our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is-- 1. In a cultivator, a yoke frame, bearing brackets adjustably carried at the sides of said yoke frame, sprocket driven shafts car-, ried by some of said bearing brackets, rotary weeder shafts carried by the other of said brackets, sprocket mechanism connected to said sprocket driven shaftsfand cultivator elements carried by said rotary \veeder shafts.

2. In a cultivator, a wheeled yoke frame, bearing brackets adjustably carried at the sides of said yoke frame, sprocket driven shafts carried by some of said brackets, rotary \veeder shafts carried by the other of said bearing brackets, and rotary Weedcr elements carried by said weedcr shafts.

A cultivator, comprising a frame provided with driving wheels, adjustable bearing brackets, rotary weeder shafts carried thereby and longitudinally adjustable, sprocket mechanism operatively connected to said wheels and said \vceder shafts, and pronged weeder members carried by said shafts and adapted to revolve transversely to the line of draft.

4. A cultivator, comprising a frame provided with laterally and longitudinally adjustable bearing brackets, driving shafts and gears carried by said brackets said driving shafts being longitudinally adjustable independently of said are, driving wheels operatively connected to said driving shafts and gears, and cultivator elements carried by some of said driving shafts.

5. In a cultivator, a wheeled frame, bearin brackets adjustably carried thereby, driving shafts longitudinally adjustable in said brackets, sprocket, driving mechanism for driving said shafts, means for supporting and adjusting said shafts and sprocket driving mechanism independently of each other, and rotary weeder prongs carried by said shafts at right angles to the surface being cultivated.

6. A cultivator, comprising a yoke frame provided with driving wheels, laterally and longitudinally adjustable bearing brackets carried at the sides of said yoke frame, sprocket driven shafts carried by some of said brackets, sprocket chains connecting. said sprocket driven shafts to said driving wheels, longitudinally extending rotary weeder shafts carried b some of said brackets, means for longitu inally adjusting said weeder shafts, and rotary weeder'members carried by saidymerler shafts.

7. In. a cultivator, a frame, adjustable bearing brackets carried at the sides of said frame, sprocket shafts and gears carried by some of said brackets, a pair of rotary Weeder shafts carried by the other of said -9. A cultivator, comprising a frame pro- .vided with driving shafts, adjustable hear ing brackets carried by said frame, sprocket driven shafts mounted in some of said brackets, sprocket mechanism connecting said sprocket driven shafts to said driving.

heels, longitudinally extending rotary weeder shafts carried by some of said brackets and longitudinally adjustable independently of said sprocket driven shafts, and rotary weeder members carried by said weeder shafts.

In testimony whereof we have ixfiixed our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

' ABBA E. VROOMAN.

HOW'ARD F. VROOMAN. Witnesses:

H. E. DOWNING,

O. C. BILLMAN. 

